Shōgun
Shōgun
Now Showing

Shōgun

"An epic saga of war, passion, and power set in Feudal Japan."

8.4
Yr 2024
Status Returning Series
Drama War & Politics
Your Verdict

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Series Brief

Overview

In Japan in the year 1600, at the dawn of a century-defining civil war, Lord Yoshii Toranaga is fighting for his life as his enemies on the Council of Regents unite against him, when a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a nearby fishing village.

Status

Latest

Critical Reception

What critics are saying

Score 95 /100

Shōgun has drawn overwhelming praise from critics, who celebrate it as a mesmerizing, high-stakes epic that stands out as a genuine masterpiece of modern television. Critics frequently applaud the show's patient, detail-oriented approach to storytelling, blending dense political intrigue and cultural friction with intense drama where mortality constantly looms over its characters.

Many reviews compare the show's scope, dense plotting, and explicit violence to Game of Thrones, noting how it balances expository narrative with sudden bursts of action, including beautifully choreographed battles and visceral clashes. The production design is universally lauded, with reviewers calling the series a visual feast thanks to its breathtaking landscapes, meticulous period costumes, and impressive sets.

Rather than feeling like a straightforward retread of James Clavell's novel, critics frame the series as a fresh reinvention of the text and a titan among contemporary television dramas, cementing it as one of the premier TV achievements of the year.

“FX’s Shōgun stands apart as a genuine masterpiece.”

“the series is able to stand out as a titan amongst its peers.”

“a mesmerising epic that goes big on the gore”

“It adopts a patient, detail-oriented approach to its plot — proving to be the rare, ultra-sized TV drama that knows when to hold and when to attack.”

Signal Feed

In the news

Transmission Paths

Where to Watch

Hulu
US
Disney Plus
CA • UK
Why fans love it

The tension in this 17th century drama rests on the collision of two vastly different worlds. As a European navigator finds himself stranded in a feudal society on the brink of civil war, the show focuses on the quiet, dangerous dance of politics rather than simple spectacle. It treats the conventions of the samurai period with a precision that demands full attention from the start.

The series succeeds by refusing to simplify its power dynamics. Hiroyuki Sanada portrays Lord Yoshii Toranaga as a man managing layers of deception, tracking every movement of his rivals on the Council of Regents. Because the narrative balances the perspective of the shipwrecked outsider with the complex motives of local leadership, the historical stakes feel immediate and human. It is a slow, deliberate look at a culture in flux.

Featured Players

Cast

Credited 75
Regulars 31
Longest run 10 eps
Hiroyuki Sanada
Hiroyuki Sanada
as Yoshii Toranaga
10 episodes
Cosmo Jarvis
Cosmo Jarvis
as John Blackthorne
10 episodes
Anna Sawai
Anna Sawai
as Toda Mariko
10 episodes
Tadanobu Asano
Tadanobu Asano
as Kashigi Yabushige
10 episodes
Takehiro Hira
Takehiro Hira
as Ishido Kazunari
10 episodes
Tommy Bastow
Tommy Bastow
as Father Martin Alvito
10 episodes
Fumi Nikaido
Fumi Nikaido
as Ochiba No Kata / Ruri
10 episodes
Nestor Carbonell
Nestor Carbonell
as Rodrigues
3 episodes
Show 67 more
Tokuma Nishioka as Toda Hiromatsu 6 episodes Hiroto Kanai as Kashigi Omi 7 episodes Yasunari Takeshima as Muraji / Tonomoto Akinao 5 episodes Moeka Hoshi as Usami Fuji 7 episodes Yuki Kura as Yoshii Nagakado 8 episodes Ned Dennehy as Captain of the Erasmus 1 episode Ако as Daiyoin / Lady Iyo 5 episodes Hiromoto Ida as Kiyama Ukon Sadanaga 7 episodes Toshi Toda as Sugiyama Josui 5 episodes Takeshi Kurokawa as Ohno Harunobu 7 episodes Yuka Kouri as Kiku 5 episodes Hiro Kanagawa as Igarashi Yoshimoto 3 episodes Sen Mars as Nakamura Yaechiyo 6 episodes Paul Moniz de Sa as Father Sebastio 1 episode Jared Ager-Foster as Pieterzoon 1 episode Kaiden Berge as Delirious Man 1 episode Dakota Daulby as Salamon 2 episodes Seiji Fukumura as Sakichi 1 episode Manami Hara as Kashigi Saki 3 episodes Shun Harada as Christian Peasant 1 episode Ryo Hayashida as Tough Green Samurai 2 episodes Yayoi Hirano as Oba 1 episode Aoi Gushiken as Little Girl 1 episode Yoshiaki Kashibe as Young Gray 2 episodes Yuki Kedoin as Takemaru 10 episodes Roger LeBlanc as Roper 1 episode Saeko Kimura as Mariko's Lady in Waiting #2 8 episodes Nelson Leis as Hendrik 1 episode Hikaru Morita as Young Green Samurai 1 episode Brandon Nomura as Masujiro 1 episode Nobuya Shimamoto as Nebara Jozen 4 episodes Yutaka Takeuchi as Akechi Jinsai 3 episodes Yoriko Doguchi as Kiri no Kata 5 episodes Joaquim de Almeida as Domingo 1 episode Yukijiro Hotaru as Nakamura Hidetoshi / The Taikō 2 episodes Shinnosuke Abe as Toda 'Buntaro' Hirokatsu 7 episodes Louis Ferreira as Captain-General Ferreira 3 episodes Paulino Nunes as Father Dell'Acqua 4 episodes Gerardo Barcala as Portuguese Priest 1 episode Mako Fujimoto as Shizu No Kata 6 episodes Yuki Takao as Usami Tadayoshi 2 episodes Yuua Yamanaka as Toda Ryuji 3 episodes Kengo Hashimoto as Ishido's Gray Kosho #1 6 episodes Erisa Ichikawa as Yayoi 6 episodes Akiko Kobayashi as Setsu 10 episodes Jaden Konishi as Hiromatsu's Brown Kosho 4 episodes Eushin Lee as Yabushige's Green Kosho #2 8 episodes Yutaro Oka as Toranaga's Brown Kosho #1 7 episodes Soichi Sato as Elderly Doctor 2 episodes Jodai Suzuki as Toranaga's Brown Kosho #2 7 episodes Daiki Yoshizaki as Ishido's Gray Kosho #2 6 episodes Emi Kamito as Chiyo 6 episodes Yukari Komatsu as Housekeeper Yuki 3 episodes Junichi Tajiri as Uejirou 2 episodes Ryuta Kato as Sumiyoshi Tabito 2 episodes Daiki Ishida as Gray Samurai Servant 2 episodes Sora Miyamoto as Teruji 2 episodes Rintaro Sawamoto as Male Cook 2 episodes Kurtis Hori as Assistant Cook 2 episodes Eisuke Sasai as Ito 3 episodes Yuko Miyamoto as Gin 3 episodes Ayumi Morita as Hana 2 episodes Nobuyuki Obikane as Jozen's Captain 4 episodes Eita Okuno as Saeki Nobutatsu 2 episodes Yuki Morita as Aki No Kata 2 episodes Haruno Niiyama as Natsu No Kata 2 episodes Kenji Sato as Yoshinao 3 episodes
Production Board

Crew

Assistant Art Director
Nick Dudar Liz Goldwyn
Set Decoration Buyer
Myron Ruth Mary-Lou Storey Sandra Smolski Rose Goronzy
Director of Photography
Marc Laliberté Aril Wretblad Christopher Ross
Art Direction
Peter Bodnarus Grant Van Der Slagt
Property Master
Dean Eilertson
Set Costumer
Heather Osborne Taryn Thumath
Concept Artist
Kirsten Franson
Lead Set Dresser
Paul Jenkinson Andrea Dance Robert Carson Joshua Praine Kevin Kasper
Creator
Rachel Kondo
Head Greensman
Rohan Lyal
Set Decoration
Jonathan Lancaster
Assistant Property Master
Jason B. Landels
Set Decorating Coordinator
Amanda Lancaster
Art Department Assistant
Kale Hitsman
Other
Dennis Simard
Property Buyer
Tomoya Imai
Art Department Coordinator
Dallas Ashby
Assistant Set Decoration
Jay Kent
Signal Match

Similarity

Where Shōgun overlaps with other shows, and exactly what they have in common.

Keyword Cloud

Keywords

japan civil war based on novel or book samurai interpreter miniseries fish out of water jidaigeki historical drama shipwrecked sengoku period feudal japan 17th century
Technical Sheet

Details

First Aired
February 27, 2024
Status
Returning Series
Origin
US
TMDB Votes
1,848